


Peachy

by MyNameIsNotMaffie



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, Rewrite, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, fluff in general, so light is not even noticeable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23060785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyNameIsNotMaffie/pseuds/MyNameIsNotMaffie
Summary: A shot resonated in the room, and she flinched at the sound, closing her eyes, not wanting to believe a poor innocent creature was dead.A rewrite of the series' first season.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: HI! This is the first fanfiction that I write (in English) and the first one that I post so don’t go too hard on me please :’) I do this mostly for my own entertainment, but I hope you guys like it :D Also I’m horrible at summaries, but basically is a rewrite of the series first season with the reader as one of the main characters.
> 
> Ah, and another thing, this fanfic is tagged as “x reader” because I don’t give any descriptions of the main female character, so she could be anybody but it has a name as I’m not comfortable writting “[Y/N]” or things like that, i hope you understand

The cold wind hit their faces while they waited in the frozen wasteland. The bounty puck beeped in the Mandalorian’s hands while he put it back in his pocket. He started walking without looking at his partner, straight to the cantina where the asset supposedly was. The door opened slowly, everyone inside stopping what they were doing and turning to look at both of them. Three men were with the bounty, two looked human, the other had tentacles in his face and had the bounty by his neck. The Mandalorian and his partner went to the bar without looking at the three men. One of the human-looking guys started yelling at them. _“_ _You sp_ _i_ _lled my drink._ _”_ They didn’t answer. _“_ _Hey Mando,_ _sweetheart!”_ Still no answer. He approached them.

 _“I said, you spilled my drink_ _._ _”_ Neither of them turned to face him.

“He says you spilled his drink,” the bartender said. The other two men released the bounty and came closer as well.

“It’s fine. It’s on me.” The bartender started serving the man another glass of his drink.

 _"It’s that really beskar?”_ The guy scratched the Mandalorian’s breastplate with a pocket knife as the other two guys came to the side of his partner and one of them put his hand on her shoulder.

“Here.” The bartender passed the glass across the table to the man, but when it was about to reach its destination, the Mandalorian stretched out his arm and picked it up, hitting him with the glass on the head and then hitting the other human-looking guy. His partner turned around, grabbing the man with the tentacles on his face, twisting his arm behind his back and kicking him to get him away from her. As she finished one of the men, the Mandalorian punched the guy who had been yelling at them and stabbed him in the back with his own knife. The tentacle faced one tried to run through the door but the Mandalorian threw a cable to his feet knocking him down. The man turned around on the floor and tried to shoot at the Mandalorian, failing. His partner came from behind him and shot at the door that closed itself, cutting the guy in two. She looked at the man her partner had stabbed.

“Can you believe he called me ‘sweetheart’? Asshole,” she murmured. The Mandalorian tilted his helmet to her but didn’t answer, and both of them turned to the bounty.

“Thank you! Thank you very much! You have my heartfelt gratitude,” the bounty said. The man resembled a fish and was of bright blue color. He started getting nervous under their silent gaze. “You know what? Here. You take my credits. Buy yourself a drink.” The Mandalorian put the bounty puck in the table where the blue man was sitting. It turned on, showing a holographic image of the man. “Oh,” he said, “Is that a bounty puck? Is that me? Look, uh, there must be some mistake. I can get you more credits.”

“I can bring you in warm-” the Mandalorian said, putting his hand on his gun, “or I can bring you in cold.”

* * *

The two of them got out of the bar with the bounty handcuffed, and walked through the iced path to a man renting airspeeders.

“I need passage to the yards,” the Mandalorian said. The man played some kind of flute and an airspeeder went to their position, driven by a droid. The Mandalorian looked from the droid to the man. “No droids.”

“Mando...” his partner sighed.

 _“I assure you this speeder is brand new. It’s the latest model...”_ before he could finish the Mandalorian gave him a pair of credits. _“As you like.”_ The man played the flute again and the droid-driven speeder went away. A much older speeder came fuming, driven by a person this time. It looked as it would break down just by kicking it a little hard.

“Where to?” the driver said.

* * *

They got inside the speeder, and he drove towards the yards. The driver used his binoculars constantly to watch the perimeter as he drove, searching for something.

“You know what he’s looking for? You’re looking for Ravinaks, right?” the bounty asked anxiously.

“Ravinaks? What is that?” the woman asked, but her question was ignored.

“It’s clear right now. But be careful near the port. Everyone dumps their gray holds out. They think the whole entire planet is their own personal stink pit,” the driver answered. They were nearly in the bounty hunters’ ship. “Here you are.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” the bounty said when they finally arrived at the ship.

“Get out,” said the Mandalorian.

“I’ll hire us a Livery Cruiser. No big deal. It won’t come out of your end.” The Mandalorian got him out of the speeder while his partner hopped out herself. “I’ll pay for it. I’m just trying to make it pleasant.” He passed the bounty to her and went to pay the driver.

“Hey, it’s time to go, so let’s settle up.” The Mandalorian gave him a few credits and turned towards the ship. “I’d stay off the ice if I were you.”

The bounty stayed behind, watching the speeder go away, “You think there’s really something to worry about?” The woman turned around and shouted to him.

"C’mon! Move! We don’t have all day.” As she spoke, a hole suddenly appeared under the speeder in the distance, swallowing it whole. The blue man started screaming and running to the ship. “Open the hatch! Open the hatch!” A gap started forming in the ice. The Mandalorian grabbed him and entered the ship at the same moment a giant reptile with enormous teeth jumped from under the frozen water, his partner behind him. They went straight to the cockpit.

“Dank farrik, that was close! Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” The bounty was still panicking. The Mandalorian turned to his partner for a second.

“That’s a Ravinak,” he said.

“Shut up and turn the ship on!” she huffed as she sat in the copilot’s chair. The Mandalorian did as he was told and initiated the ship’s take off.

“‘Stay off the ice.’ That’s the understatement of the millennium.” The man seemed to have calmed down a bit. The ship was taking off when it started to violently shake.

“It’s taking us down. What’re you doing?” The Mandalorian pressed a few buttons and got up from his seat. The man continued screaming as he left the cockpit. “It’s got us. It’s gonna take us under.” His partner took his place at the ship’s controls. “Where are you going? You gotta do something! We gotta get out of here!” The bounty put his face in the cockpit’s glass, looking at the Mandalorian who took his rifle and shot the creature until it released the ship and they took off. The man didn’t stop saying ‘Let’s go’ until they reached space. Once there, and when he had calmed down, he tried to make small talk.

“I like your ship. She’s a classic.” He looked around. “Razor Crest, am I right? Pre-Empire?” When he saw that it was taking him nowhere, he changed the subject “I have a lot of credits, by the way. That’s why I offered to hail a Cruiser.” But even with that, there was still no answer. “How much are they paying you?” Still, nothing. He then looked at the Mandalorian. “Is it true that you guys never take off your helmets?” At this, the woman turned her head a bit, like waiting for him to say the wrong thing. He swallowed.

“I think I have to use the vacc tube. I mean I can do it here, but if you’ve never seen a Fledgling Mythrol evacuate their thorax, you’re a lucky guy, trust me.” He waited a few seconds and stood up. “Clearly, there’s nowhere for me to go. So, uh, I’m gonna look for that vacc tube if it’s all the same to you? Great.” He got out of the cockpit and descended to the floor below. “Found it! Thanks. It might take a while. I’m molting.” He started looking around, opening the weapons closet and closing it again. “Oh, this feels a lot better. I haven’t evacuated since the solstice.” He walked around the ship a bit more, still talking. “Yeah. I was hoping to be free for Life Day. Maybe even, uh,” he found out three people frozen in some kind of metal, “get home to the family. But I guess that’s not gonna happen this year.”

“Probably not.” The Mandalorian was behind him. He pushed him into a mold and froze him. After placing it with the others, he returned to the cockpit and sat in the pilot’s seat.

“Did you just carbonite the guy?” the woman asked without turning.

“He talked too much,” was his only reply.

* * *

They arrived at Nevarro, a desert, rocky, and hot planet whose population was no more than a few towns spread across the globe. They went to the cantina, searching for Greef Karga, a middle-aged black man, who usually gave them their bounty pucks. They entered the cantina, and a few of the bounty hunters looked at them with disgust. Karga was sitting on a table at the end of the cantina.

“Ah, that was fast. Did you catch them all?” He looked at both of them. The Mandalorian put the bounty pucks in the table. “Good. I’ll begin the off-load.” Then he shouted to a man on the other side of the bar who left the cantina to take the bounties of the Razor Crest.

The Mandalorian took his rifle off his back and sat down at the table, his partner right behind him. Karga dug into his pockets and took out some credits, that he put in the table.

“These are Imperial Credits,” the woman said.

“They still spend,” said Karga.

“I don’t know if you heard, but the Empire is gone,” the Mandalorian spoke this time.

“It’s all I’ve got.” The Mandalorian went to grab the pucks, but Karga stopped him, grabbing his wrist. “Save the theatrics. Fine, I’ll...” he searched his pockets, “I can do Calamari Flan But I can only pay half.”

The Mandalorian looked at his partner, that after a moment nodded.

“Fine.”

“Then let’s talk business, shall we? I have a bail jumper, a bail jumper, another bail jumper, a wanted smuggler...”

“I’ll take them all.” He tried to grab them, but Karga took them.

“No. Hold on. There are other members of the Guild, and this is all I have.”

“Why so slow?” the Mandalorian asked.

“It’s not slow at all, actually. Very busy. They just don’t want to pay Guild rates. They don’t mind if things get sloppy.”

“What’s your highest bounty?”

“Not much. Five thousand.”

“That won’t even cover fuel these days,” stated the woman as she leaned back in her seat.

Karga thought for a bit.

“There is one job.”

The Mandalorian looked over Karga’s shoulder and then returned his gaze to him. “Let’s see the puck.”

“No puck. Face to face. Direct commission. Deep pocket.”

“Underworld?”

“All I know is no chain code.” He took a card from his pocket. “Do you want the chit or not?”

The Mandalorian grabbed the card, and he and his partner got out of the cantina.

* * *

“Are you sure about this, Mando?” the woman asked. “This job sounds a bit shady. I mean, no puck, hidden warehouse...”

“I won’t let anybody hurt you,” he responded without looking at her.

“I’m capable of defending myself, thank you very much,” she said annoyed, but still smiled to herself at the thought of him caring for her.

When they reached the warehouse, Mando knocked at the door. A robotic stick with an eye in its end came out, and the Mandalorian showed it the card Karga had given them. The eye scanned the card and then granted them access to the warehouse. Once inside, they followed a droid through a corridor until they got to a door. The door opened slowly, revealing a room full of Imperial troopers. She grasped for her gun, but Mando grabbed her wrist before she could take it out of its holster. The troopers looked at them as they entered the area. An old man sat on a chair in the middle of the place.

“Greef Karga said you were coming.”

“What else did he say?” asked the Mandalorian as he released his partner’s wrist. They both drew closer to the man.

“He said you were the best in the parsec.” A door opened at the far end of the room. Both the woman and the Mandalorian took out their weapons and pointed them to the troopers as they did the same. Mando put himself in front of her, shielding her from most of the soldiers.

“No, no, no, no. Pardon. Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm,” the man who had come out of the door said with his hands raised.

“This is Doctor Pershing,” the old man said. “Please excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm outweighs his discretion.” He got up from the table and moved closer to both of them. “Please lower your blasters.”

“Have them lower theirs first,” the woman said.

“We have you four to two, ” one of the troopers replied.

“I like those odds,” responded the Mandalorian.

“He also said you were expensive. Very expensive. Please sit.” The man told his men to lower their guns with a movement of his hand, and the three of them went back to the table. He put a piece of cloth on the table and opened it to reveal a fragment of metal.

“Beskar?” asked Mando, a bit surprised.

“Go ahead. It’s real. This is only a down payment. I have a camtono of Beskar and a large sum of credits for the lady waiting upon delivery of the asset.”

“Alive,” the doctor said.

“Yes. Alive. Although, I acknowledge that bounty hunting is a complicated profession. This being the case, proof of termination is also acceptable for a lower fee.”

The doctor looked to the client. “That is not what we agreed upon.” The Mandalorian and the woman watched both men without saying a word.

“I’m simply being pragmatic.”

“Let’s see the puck,” said the Mandalorian.

“I’m afraid discretion dictates a less traditional agreement. We can only offer you a tracking fob.” The doctor gave it to them, and Mando put it in his pocket.

“What’s the chain code?” asked the Mandalorian.

“We can only provide the last four digits.”

“Their age?” the woman said incredulous. “That’s all you can give us?”

“Yes. They’re 50 years old. We can also give you last reported positional data. Between that and the fob, bounty hunters as renowned as you should make short work of this.” The both of them stood up and walked to the door. “The Beskar belongs back into the hands of a Mandalorian. It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray, don’t you agree?” With that, they left the warehouse.

* * *

“Go back to the ship, I’ll be there in an hour or two,” Mando said to the woman.

“What? Why? Where are you...?” she looked at him and saw that he was glancing at the Beskar in his hands. “Oh, alright. I will see you at the Razor.” She grabbed his shoulder and squeezed once, as he put his gloved hand over hers. Then they marched separated ways.

The Mandalorian walked through the market, heading to the lair of the Mandalorians. He checked behind himself before entering, making sure no one followed him, and then went down the spiral stairs. He passed by some kids playing and continued straight to the Armorer. Sitting down in silence, he waited for her to pay attention to him. She came closer to where he was and, after nodding to him, sat down. He put in the table his part of the coins he had received from Karga and the beskar the client had given him. She took it in her hands.

“This was gathered in the Great Purge,” she said. “It is good it is back with the Tribe.”

“Yes.” 

“A pauldron would be in order. Has your signet been revealed?” she asked,

“Not yet.”

“Soon.” She got up and started silently working with the beskar in the furnace. “This is extremely generous. The excess will sponsor many Foundlings.”

“That’s good. I was once a Foundling.”

“I know.” The sounds of the Armorer’s hammer reminded him of his past, bad memories that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he tried. She approached him again, giving him his new piece of armor.

* * *

After two days, they reached Arvala-7, an out-of-the-way world, frequently visited by criminals and mercenaries.

“We’re close to the planet,” the woman said, turning in her chair to face the Mandalorian. “You ready?” The Mandalorian nodded and initiated the ship’s descent.

When they landed, Mando got out of the ship and looked around with the tracking fob in his hands. The woman followed him, removing a thin layer of sweat from her forehead with her hand.

“Damn, it is hot here or is just you?” she winked to her partner. Mando sighed and took out his rifle, scouting all over the place, while the woman glanced in the other direction. He saw some blurrgs in the distance. One suddenly got closer with none of the two people noticing and attacked him. The woman, after hearing the sounds of the animal and a flamethrower, turned around a tried to shoot at the beast. It had Mando by the arm, and he was punching the animal, trying to break free. The blurrg dropped to the floor, electrocuted. Another blurrg came running, but fell too. A dart was in his side. The woman ran to her companion, kneeling beside him and taking his free hand between hers.

“Are you alright?” she asked him, worried.

“Yeah... Yeah, I’m good” he looked at her, and she smiled at him.

An Ugnaught came closer to them, gun in hand, and riding a blurrg. The Mandalorian finally freed himself from the paralyzed animal and the woman stood up.

“Thank you,” Mando said.

“You are bounty hunters.” It was more an affirmation than a question.

“Yes.”

The man seemed to reflect for a moment. “I will help you.” At this, both bounty hunters looked at each other before looking at the man again. “I have spoken.” He turned around with his blurrg and started marching towards the direction he had come from.

“You think he can be trusted?” she said helping his partner get up. He stood closer than he intended, staring down to her face.

“Let’s find out.”

* * *

The Ugnaught took them to his farm. He gave the woman a glass of water before sitting down in front of them.

“Thanks,” she said, drinking a bit of the water.

The Ugnaught nodded. “Many have passed through. They seek the same one as you.”

“Did you help them?” Mando asked.

“Yes. They died.”

Mandalorian huffed under his breath “Well, then I don’t know if we want your help.”

“You do. I can show you to the encampment.”

“What’s your cut?”

“Half.”

“Half the bounty to guide? Seems steep,” said the woman.

“No. Half of the blurrg you helped capture.”

“The blurrg? You can keep them both,” the Mandalorian answered.

“No, you will need them. To ride. The way is impossible to pass without a blurrg mount.”

“I don’t know how to ride blurrg. Do you?” she asked her partner, who slightly shook his head.

“I have spoken.” And with that, the conversation was over.

After staying the night at the farm, the Ugnaught started his lessons on how to ride a blurrg. She stayed with the man as the Mandalorian tried to ride the animal, who didn’t like the idea of having a strange person on top of them.

“What’s your name?” the man asked her.

“Beatrice,” she answered.

“And his?”

“Eh...” she looked from the man to the Mandalorian. “Mando, that’s what we all call him.”

“I see...” he turned his gaze to the Mandalorian, just in time to watch him fall off the blurrg. Beatrice laughed at the sight of him sitting on the floor. 

“Perhaps if you removed your helmet.” the man said.

“Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him,” he replied, still lying in the ground

“This is a female. The males are all eaten during mating.”

Mando got up from the floor and tried riding the beast again, failing miserably. He stood up fast before the animal could catch him like he did the day before and went to where the man and his partner were.

“I don’t have time for this. Do you have a Landspeeder or Speeder bike that we could hire?”

“You are Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal.” Mando looked between the man and the animal, and approached the blurrg, trying to soothe the beast, caressing her when he got close enough and finally mounting her without being tossed around.

“Good job, Mando!” his partner shouted with a smile on her face.

“Now it is your turn, Beatrice.”

“Wait, what? No, no, no, I’m sure these animals can take two people. He is carrying me,” she said, pointing to the Mandalorian.

“I have spoken.”

* * *

They rode through the desert mounted in the blurrgs, arriving to a hill from where they could see a mercenary camp.

“That is where you’ll find your quarry,” the man spoke. Mando offered him a bag with some credits, but he refused.

“Please. You deserve this,” he insisted. It seemed wrong just to give him only an animal that he could have caught alone without help.

“Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction,” the man said.

“Then why did you guide us?” asked Beatrice.

“They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they’re gone.”

The Mandalorian looked at the mercenary camp and then at the ugnaught, “Then why do you help?”

“I have never met a Mandalorian,” he declared with a bit of humor in his tone, “I’ve only read the stories.” They focused their gaze in the camp. “If they are true, you and your partner will make quick work of it. Then there will again be peace.” He turned around his blurrg and added over his shoulder, “I have spoken.”

Getting out of their blurrgs, the Mandalorian and Beatrice got closer to the end of the hill, laying in the ground and peeping down to where the camp was. Mando took his binocular and searched below, looking for something that could tell them where the bounty was.

“After all this time it still amazes me how can you see anything with the binocular wearing that thing in your head,” inquired Beatrice incredulously, taking her own binocular and copying her partner.

Mando only shushed her, to which Beatrice glanced at him, offended. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when he spoke.

“Oh, no.” He pointed to a droid who was slowly marching towards the mercenaries. “Bounty Droid.”

“Damn, let’s go.” They both stood up and ran down the hill.

“Subparagraph 16 of the Bondsman Guild protocol waiver compels you to immediately produce said asset,” said the droid to no one in particular, as he had already killed most of the mercenaries who were at the camp.

When the Mandalorian and Beatrice got close enough, Mando shouted to the droid.

“IG Unit! Stand down.” But that was all he could say before the droid shot him, sending him flying a few meters, landing in a pile of red barrels.

“Mando!” Beatrice screamed. Then she turned around, facing the machine. “We’re in the Guild!” Mando got up, grabbing the tracking fob from his belt and showing it to the droid.

“You are a Guild member? I thought I was the only one on assignment.”

“That makes three of us,” said Mando. He took cover in one of the columns of the camp, Beatrice placing herself in the next one. Mando peeked around the column. “So much for the element of surprise.”

“Sadly, I must ask for your fob. I have already issued the writ of seizure. The bounty is mine.”

“You’re kidding, right? Unless I’m mistaken, you are, as of yet, empty-handed,” said Beatrice angrily.

“This is true.”

“I have a suggestion,” intervened the Mandalorian before his partner could jump at the machine’s neck.

“Proceed.”

“We split the reward.”

“What? No!” complained Beatrice, this time looking at her companion. Mando looked at her and she sighed, nodding. "Alright..."

“This is acceptable.”

“Great. Now let’s regroup, out of harm’s way, and form a plan,” said Mando, gesturing to the machine to take cover, so they could all get out of there before the mercenaries came back.

“I will, of course, receive the reputation merits associated with the mission,” declared the IG unit drawing closer to the Mandalorian

“Can we talk about this later?” Mando was growing anxious.

A long pause.

“I require an answer if I am to proceed. ”

“Oh, for the love of...” Before she could finish her sentence, one mercenary shot the droid.

“Alert Alert. Alert.” The droid’s shouts of alarm resonated in all the compound. Beatrice took better cover while Mando killed the mercenary, falling from the building’s roof he was in. Doors started opening and armed men came out of them. The three of them made their way around the camp, shooting at the mercenaries. One of the gates behind them opened and a man tried to attack Beatrice, but Mando was faster and hit him with his blaster. They left the underside of the building and ran to the middle of the camp, hiding behind a metallic wagon. Mando watched as the tracking fob beeped stronger, pointing it to the door it was signaling.

“He’s in there!”

“Affirmative,” confirmed the droid. The Mandalorian and his partner took cover in the columns near the closed door. The IG Unit stayed in place, spinning around itself and shooting at mercenaries, both of them helping him from behind the pillars.

“Up top!” The droid shot to the man in the roof at the Mandalorian’s command and then hid with the bounty hunters. The mercenaries took positions, ready to kill them.

“It appears we are trapped. I will initiate self-destruct sequencing,” the IG Unit suddenly said, opening a compartment in its chest and showing a sphere that was glowing red.

“Whoa, you’re what?” Mando said, looking to his partner, who was closer to the droid and facing the machine.

“Manufacturers Protocol dictates I cannot be captured. I must self-destruct.”

“Do not self-destruct. Cover me!” the Mandalorian ran to the door and tried to open it using the control panel. Beatrice and the IG Unit covered him, but they were getting overwhelmed by the number of mercenaries. After a laser shot got too close to him, he went back to the columns, this time in the one where the droid was. “There’s too many!” The mercenaries continued charging. “They got us pinned.” One mercenary approached the others carrying a laser cannon.

“I will initiate self-destruct.”

“For Maker’s sake, DON’T!” exclaimed Beatrice, still firing at the mercenaries.

“Do not self-destruct! We’re shooting our way out,” shouted the Mandalorian. They all came from behind the columns, but stopped immediately upon seeing the laser cannon. “Okay,” the Mandalorian said, astonished. The mercenary began shooting at them, and they went back to their original position behind the pillars.

“Any other plan?” Beatrice got closer to the Mandalorian, nearly chest to chest, and he put his arm around her, without touching her, to keep her close. The corners of the column weren’t safe because of the constant fire.

“Beginning self-destruct countdown.” The sphere in its rib cage glowed again.

“No! Stop it!” Mando yelled, the canon still shooting at them. “Draw their fire, I’ll take it out.”

“Acceptable.”

“Be careful, Mando. If you die, I’ll kill you!” shouted Beatrice over the sound of the laser shots. The droid began running but was shot down shortly after getting out of the pillars. Beatrice ran in the same direction and jumped behind some barrels. Mando threw his cable to the laser cannon and pulled it towards him, killing the man who was using it. He rushed towards the cannon, got in it, and started spinning and shooting to all the mercenaries, ending them. He got off the machine and looked at all the bodies now laying in the ground.

“Well done,” the IG Unit said, still on the floor. “I will disengage self-destruct initiative.” The sphere in his chest backed up, and the compartment closed.

Beatrice came out of her hiding place and ran to the Mandalorian. He turned to her. “Are you alright?” as she asked, he took her face in his hand, looking for injuries

“Yeah,” he answered. “You?”

“Peachy.” She smiled and put her hands on top of his. He released them and shifted towards the droid, helping it stand up.

“You know, you’re not so bad. For a droid.”

“Agreed.”

“That blaster hit looks nasty. You okay?” he asked the IG Unit.

“Running a quick diagnostic.” He made some beeping noises. “It has missed my central wiring harness.”

“Is that good?” inquired the woman.

“Yes,” was his answer.

“Well, now we just need to get the door open.” After saying that, Mando looked to the laser cannon, both Beatrice and the IG Unit following his gaze. He shot the door until it swung on its hinges. Then he approached the gate and kicked it, throwing it down. The three of them jumped over it and entered the area. A mercenary came from the other side of the room, and Mando shot him before he could take his blaster off his belt.

“Anyone else?” he asked to the empty room.

“The tracking fob is still active. My sensors indicate that there is a life form present,” the IG Unit said. Mando moved his tracking fob around the room, looking for the bounty. It started beeping harder, and he and his partner followed the sound. The beeping stopped when they got closer to a white sphere that was stacked together with some boxes. He took some piece of cloth from top of it and opened the orb which, turned out, was a crib. A green baby was inside. It had very pointy ears, almost twice the length of his head, and big brown eyes, practically black. He looked around himself with curiosity.

“Wait,” the Mandalorian said. “They said fifty years old.”

“Species age differently. Perhaps it could live many centuries. Sadly, we’ll never know,” said the droid. He tried to point his gun to the baby, but the Mandalorian stopped him.

“No. We’ll bring it in alive.”

“You can’t kill it, is just a baby,” intervened Beatrice, standing in front of him, blocking his view of the infant.

“The commission was quite specific.” The IG Unit pushed her out of the way and raised his gun again. “The asset was to be terminated.”

A shot resonated in the room, and Beatrice flinched at the sound, closing her eyes, not wanting to believe a poor innocent creature was dead. But then something metallic falling to the ground startled her. She looked at the place where the droid was seconds ago, just to see Mando looking at the baby with his gun raised toward the IG Unit. He guarded his blaster and came closer to the crib, extending his arm and letting the child take his finger.


	2. The Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am, back again after... 9 months??? Well yeah I'm a slow writer. And between all the pandemic stuff, online classes, etc, etc, etc..... I haven't got a minute to write. That doesn't excuse my lazyness but here we are with a new chapter! Enjoy!
> 
> (I intend to finish this, even if it takes 464654546 years, dont't worry, I know how if feels to read an unfinished work :') )
> 
> (Also half of this was written in May and the other half yesterday/today, so... yeah, there may be some errors.)

The hot air made her clothes stick to her skin. She wondered if the Mandalorian was sweating like her under his armor, but if he did, he didn’t show it. They had been walking for two hours, getting as far as possible from the mercenary camp, the ugnaught had taken the blurrgs with him.

“You know,” she said to the Mandalorian, who walked ahead of her with the pod where the child was at his side. “We could have taken the ship to the camp. Well, maybe not to the camp, but close, that way we wouldn’t be melting under the sun. Or ask the man if he could let us keep the blurrgs. That would have been good, too.” She walked looking at her feet, trying not to step in the mud or the lizard-like creatures that ran freely in the valley. The kid watched the creatures with curiosity. She smiled at the child. “Mando are you even listening to me?”

The Mandalorian halted, looking around himself. Beatrice saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye and put her hand on her blaster, scanning the area, waiting for whatever was trying to ambush them. A Trandoshan sought to attack them, the Mandalorian being faster picked his gun, but not fast enough to avoid getting it whacked out from his hand. Beatrice aimed at the Trandoshan, but another one came from behind her and struck her in the back of her knee, making her fall to the ground. She kicked him, getting him on the ground, and landed on top of him, punching him in the face and knocking him out. Meanwhile, Mando was still struggling with the other. They grew close to the pod, and in the Trandoshan’s belt something started beeping. Both the Mandalorian and Beatrice recognized it instantly. The Trandoshans were bounty hunters, and that was a tracking fob. The Mandalorian kicked the pod out of the other hunters reach towards Beatrice, who placed it behind her, searching for more men seeking to take the bounty. Another two Trandoshans appeared from the shadows. Mando took out his rifle and used it as a baton, trying not to get hit by the vibro-axes of the men surrounding him. Beatrice tried to shoot them, but it was impossible as they continued moving around and Mando kept getting in the middle.

“Mando! Stay still for a second, would you?!” she shouted to the Mandalorian, aiming her blaster in his direction. He knocked down two of the Trandoshans, one turning away and running straight to Beatrice and the pod, with his weapon raised. She readied her gun, but the man turned to ashes right in front of her. The Mandalorian stood with his rifle pointing at her. He lowered his gun.

“Are you alright?” Mando walked closer to his partner. She bent down, staring at the tracking fob the Trandoshan had dropped. “Yeah.” She grabbed the artefact and looking up at the Mandalorian, she smashed it in her hand. The beeping stopped. “Peachy.”

* * *

The sky was turning darker, and the two bounty hunters found a place to spend the night. The Mandalorian carefully cauterized his wounds. He grunted in pain. Beatrice watched him, sitting down near the pod with the child. Her only injury a bruise in her leg.

“Mando.” When he didn’t answer she stood up, approaching him. “Mando.” Again, ignored. She sighed and placed her hand on top of his. He looked up to her face. “Let me help you. ”

He stared at his wound again. “I can do it myself.” But she didn’t let go of his hand.

“I know.” At this he gave up and passed the tool to her. She sat down beside him, patching up his wounds. He kept glancing to her face, groaning when his injuries would stung him, only looking away when he noted the green child growing closer to them. The child extended his palm, trying to touch the wound in his arm. The Mandalorian got up, startling his partner, and took the kid back to the pod. He then went back to where Beatrice was sitting, cauterizing tool in hand, and sat down. She continued patching him up while he looked up at the sky, thinking. Once again, the kid got out of its pod and approached the two of them.

“For such a small thing, he sure as hell is fast,” she laughed. Mando sighed and put the child in his pod, this time closing it. “Maybe he’s bored. Or cold?” she wondered.

“There’s a blanket in the pod,” is all he answered.

The morning came fast, and they continued their path to the Razor Crest. By the time they made it to the ship, the sun was high in the sky. The sounds of Jawa dismantling their ship put them on alert, and they walked faster to the edge of the cliff, so they could take a better look at what was happening. Reaching out for his binocular, he kneeled on the ground.

“What are those little bastards doing?” Beatrice asked, kneeling beside him, grabbing his shoulder for support.

“What do you think? They’re tearing apart my ship, that’s what!” Picking up his rifle and pointing it to one of the Jawa, he shot him. The Jawa disintegrated instantly, leaving a puff of smoke where he was standing. The others panicked and ran towards their sandcrawler. The Mandalorian killed another two before all the Jawa made it to the vehicle and it closed its gates. Both bounty hunters went down the hill, with the pod following right behind them. The sandcrawler drove away with them on its tail. The Mandalorian halted to shoot the rear of the vehicle, trying to slow down the sandcrawler. Seeing as it didn’t work, he caught up with Beatrice, who hadn’t stop running behind it. He passed her, getting closer to the sandcrawler, and jumped, holding onto a tube. Beatrice stopped, the pod passing her too, as it followed Mando.

“What in the name of the Maker is he doing?! He will get himself killed!” She continued running behind them.

She could see Mando climbing the side of the sandcrawler and a Jawa leaning from a hole, closing it after seeing the Mandalorian. The sandcrawler went closer to one rock, ready to smash Mando against it, and he jumped in the last moment, laying down in a platform and avoiding being crushed to death. Beatrice gave up on following them, they were moving too fast now, and just walked behind them, hoping that they would slow down or stop sometime soon.

The Jawa threw junk to the Mandalorian, trying to make him fall. The pod was still going behind them. He got on his feet and climbed again. A gap opened up, one Jawa throwing metal pieces to the Mandalorian, and when he went to grab him, the window closed, catching his fingers and almost making him drop. Using his grappling cable, he went up to the top of the sandcrawler, dogging debris and whatnot, even getting electrocuted by a Jawa, before kicking him and throwing another out of the vehicle. As he reached the top, the Jawa dislodged the platform he had tied the grappling cable around, but he made it to the top, sending the Jawa that had leaned over the edge out of the sandcrawler too. He took out his blaster, but the Jawa were armed and outnumbered him. They electrocuted him, and he fell off.

He woke up hours later, Beatrice sat next to him. She had taken the child out of his pod and was playing with him. He grunted and straightened up, startling her.

“Good morning, handsome. I thought the worst for a moment. Feeling well?”

He looked at her. “Are you?”

Beatrice raised her eyebrows, she wasn’t the one that had fell off from fifteen meters to solid ground. He watched her, waiting for an answer, and she chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Peachy.” She smiled at him and got up, helping him to do the same. “We should go to what’s left of the ship before it gets dark.” Putting the child back in the pod, he nodded to her and the two of them started walking.

* * *

The Razor Crest was a mess. Parts of the ship were missing, cables hanging everywhere. Mando checked the gun’s locker. Finding it empty, he smashed the door closed.

“Well,” Beatrice said looking at some cabinets, “at least they didn’t take the food.”

He ignored her and climbed up to the cockpit. Most of the panels had been stolen, and when he tried to turn on the turbines, they only did some noise, but stayed off. Beatrice was still searching around the ship when he went back down.

“Those little bastards…” She looked at him. “Any luck with the engines?”

He shook his head and sat down on the mattress they both took turns to sleep in. The kid walked towards them, having escaped from its pod yet again. Beatrice eyed him and smiled, seeing as he wobbled to them.

“Maybe the Ugnaught can help us,” Mando said as he glanced up from the child.

“Is worth a shot.”

* * *

They arrived at night to the Ugnaught’s home. He was fixing a moisture vaporator. Without looking up, he spoke.

“I thought you were dead.”

He came down and washed his hands in the water well. The kid was playing with a frog, chasing it.

“This is what was causing all the fuss?” the man asked, pointing at the kid. 

Mando was repairing his suit. “We think it’s a child.”

“It IS a child,” pointed out Beatrice.

“It is better to deliver it alive then,” said the Ugnaught, walking to where his tools were.

“My-” Beatrice glared at him. “Our ship has been destroyed. We’re trapped here.” 

“Stripped. Not destroyed. The Jawa steal. They don’t destroy.” The man gave the Mandalorian one of his tools.

“Stolen or destroyed, we’re still trapped here,” Beatrice said, sitting down near the kid and watching him play. “They’re protected by their crawling fortress. There is no way to recover the parts.” The child grabbed the frog.

“You can trade.” Suggested the Ugnaught. 

“With Jawa? Are you out of your mind?” asked Mando incredulous.

“I will take you to them. I have spoken.”

The Mandalorian looked at the kid, watching as he put the frog in his mouth 

“Hey! Spit that out.” The child ignored him and swallowed the frog.

Beatrice made a face and laughed. “That’s disgusting.” She looked up to Mando still smiling, the kid burped.

* * *

The Ugnaught led them to the Jawa by hoversled. As they got closer, he saluted them in their language. The Jawa picked up guns and pointed at them.

“They really don’t like you for some reason.”

“Well, I did disintegrate a few of them,” said the Mandalorian nonchalantly.

More Jawa peeked out through the gaps in the Sandcrawler.

“You need to drop your weapons.” The Ugnaught stopped the hoversled.

“I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion.”

“Yeah, what he said,” added Beatrice getting out of the cart.

“Then you’re not getting your parts back.”

The Mandalorian looked at his partner, who shrugged. He sighed. “Fine.”

Beatrice passed him her gun, and he laid it and his rifle down in the hoversled, getting out of it too. The Jawas still didn’t put away their guns.

The Ugnaught came closer to them. “And the blaster.”

He and the Mandalorian stared at each other for a few seconds before Mando gave up. The Ugnaught walked towards the Jawas. Mando put his blaster near the other two guns in the cart.

The Ugnaught gestured for them to come. “Why do we have to drop our weapons but they can keep theirs?” Beatrice said as the two of them got closer to the Jawa and sat down next to the other man. The Jawa started speaking, and the Ugnaught translated to the bounty hunters.

“They will trade all the parts for the beskar.”

“What? Are they delusional?” said Beatrice, more offended by the proposal than the Mandalorian himself.

“I’m not gonna trade anything. These are our parts. They stole them from us.” The Mandalorian said.

The Jawa spoke, but Mando interrupted them. “ _They, they... belong... to_ _us_ _!_ ” he said in Jawa. The Jawa laughed as Beatrice glanced at her partner, not having understood what he said.

“ _You speak terrible Jawa_ _,_ ” one of them replied. “ _You sound like a Wookiee._ ”

“You understand this?!” Yelled the Mandalorian as he extended his arm and fired his flamethrower. The Ugnaught caught his forearm and held him from burning the Jawa alive.

“MANDO! What are you doing?!” shouted Beatrice, grabbing his other arm. He looked at her and then back to the Jawa without saying nothing. When everyone had calmed down, Beatrice released him and the Ugnaught spoke.

“ _He is Mandalorian. He cannot give you his beskar armor. What else may he trade?_ _”_

The spokesman of the Jawa pointed behind the bounty hunters to the hoversled. Another two Jawa were near the kid, inspecting it.

“Get away from it!” yelled again the Mandalorian, scaring the two Jawa.

“ _There must be something else._ ” Tried again the Ugnaught.

The Jawa turned to discuss amongst themselves, then turned back around.

“ _We will require The Egg. Bring us The Egg._ ”

The Ugnaught facepalmed and groaned.

“The Egg? What Egg?” asked Mando.

The Jawa started chanting ‘The Egg’ gleefully.

“Must be important,” said Beatrice looking at him.

* * *

The Jawa allowed them inside their sandcrawler, taking them to where The Egg was. Inside the tiny space of the cockpit, the Mandalorian sighed as the Jawa continued their cheering. A bump in the path made Mando hit the ceiling of the sandcrawler, making the Jawa laugh. Beatrice tried to hide her giggles but failed miserably. After a few hours driving through the desert, the Jawa stopped. Mando, Beatrice and the child in its capsule got off, the Ugnaught waiting with the Jawa. They stopped at the entrance of the cave and while Mando was checking his equipment, Beatrice took out her gun.

“Any idea of what’s inside there?” she asked.

“An Egg,” answered Mando, drawing his own weapon and entering the cavern, his partner right behind him.

“Will the kid be fine out there by himself? I mean, whatever lives here could be hunting or…” As darkness engulfed them, Mando turned on his helmet’s flashlight, looking around until he spotted a pile of bones resting on the floor of the cavern. He kneeled next to them. Beatrice heard a low growl. Mando searched through the cave, trying to find from where was the sound coming, stopping at a small crack in the wall. “Shit, okay. You know what? I don’t think the kid is safe so maybe, um, maybe I should check-” The crack opened revealing an eye.

* * *

Two shots were heard from the outside of the cave. Beatrice ran towards the child, another two shots followed by Mando flying out of the cavern, landing on his back in a mud puddle. His chest plate was completely ruined. Beatrice turned around, going to help her partner up, as the mudhorn, a giant beast with a horn in its snout, strolled out of the cave. He got up before she reached him, seizing his rifle and aiming it to the mudhorn. The rifle was covered in mud, keeping him from shooting. The beast charged at him, sending him various meters back, as Beatrice threw herself to the ground, avoiding the mudhorn by centimeters. The animal then focused on the kid, trying to charge against it too, but the Mandalorian was able to move the pod just in time. Beatrice got up from the floor screaming Mando’s name as the mudhorn once again lunged towards him, smashing him to the ground. She shoot the beast, who ignored her and continued to hit the Mandalorian. He turned on his flamethrower, pushing back the mudhorn, and when it ran out of gas, he latched onto the creature with a grappling hook. The mudhorn tried to retreat towards the cave, dragging the Mandalorian behind itself. Beatrice was still shooting at it. When the mudhorn stopped, it spun around and tossed Mando far away. He hit his head, making his vision blurry for a few seconds.

When he regained consciousness, his partner was at his side, shaking his arm trying to get his attention. With the other hand she was aiming her gun to the beast, who was preparing itself to charge one last time. Mando straightened himself, getting a knife from his boot, and pushing Beatrice behind him, who fell on her bottom, surprised by the sudden action. The mudhorn ran towards them. Beatrice tried to shoot it from her position behind the Mandalorian, but not getting it to stop. Mando grabbed his knife with all the strength left in his body after the fight and tilted his helmet down, preparing himself for the worse, his only remorse being not being able to do something more to protect his partner. But nothing came.

“What in the...?” Beatrice said. Mando looked up, seeing the mudhorn floating a few centimeters above the ground. He stared at the child, his hand extended and his eyes closed.

“Is he doing that?” she asked, following his gaze. Before he could answer, the kid passed out and the mudhorn fell to the floor. Mando’s quick reflexes made him stab the beast in the neck before it could attack. He made sure it was truly dead before taking back the knife. He looked at his partner, still sitting on the floor.

“Are you-” he took a breath “are you alright?”

“I cannot believe you’re asking ME. Again.” He just watched her, waiting for an answer. She sighed “Yes.”

He came closer to her, helping her up. “Good.”

“How’s your head? You took a nasty hit back there,” she asked him, worried, no releasing his grip yet after she was fully up.

“I’ll live.” She let go of his hand and walked to the kid.

“Do you think he did that?”

“I don’t know.”

* * *

After having taken the Egg from the mudhorn’s den, the two bounty hunters went back to where the sandcrawler left them. As they grew closer to the ship, they could she the Jawa already leaving. Mando had his arm around his partner, leaning on her to walk with the pod behind them.

“Mando! Beatrice!” shouted the Ugnaught, waving his hand in the air.

“We have it,” said the Mandalorian once they were close enough. “We’ve got The Egg.”

The Jawa ran towards the two bounty hunters surrounding them and the Mandalorian gave them The Egg. One of them raised it while the others cheered, then he passed The Egg to another Jawa and taking a knife, he opened it. They ate the egg yolk as the two bounty hunters looked away.

“We risked our lives for this guys’ dinner. This is unbelievable,” said Beatrice indignantly, as they walked back to the Ugnaught. Mando said nothing, but nodded his head.

“I’m surprised you waited,” said Mando to the Ugnaught.

“I’m surprised you took so long,” answered him. Beatrice laughed.

* * *

They made their way back to the Razor Crest in the hoversled with all the missing parts of the ship. The kid snored lightly in its capsule. Mando stared at it while Beatrice conversed with the Ugnaught.

“Is it still sleeping?” asked the Ugnaught.

“Yes,” answered the Mandalorian, rocking the pod. Beatrice glimpsed at him and then to the child. 

“Was it injured?” asked again the Ugnaught.

“I don’t think so. Not physically.”

“Explain it to me again. I still don’t understand what happened.”

“Neither do I.” Mando looked at him.

“What is this kid?” wondered aloud Beatrice, looking at her partner, who glanced at her before looking ahead again.

* * *

“There is no way we’re gonna get this to work without a full maintenance facility,” said the Mandalorian. The Ugnaught turning on a spotlight. “This is gonna take days to fix.” Beatrice started taking ship parts from the hoversled. 

“If you care to help, it might go faster.” The Ugnaught got closer to the cart, taking a tool and giving it to the Mandalorian. “There is much work to do.”

By sunrise the ship was again whole and functional. Mando and Beatrice stood outside contemplating the Razor.

“Look at her, she is beautiful!” exclaimed Beatrice.

Mando looked at her. “Yeah.” She turned to him, smiled and went inside of the ship, Mando following behind. Once inside, they walked towards the Ugnaught.

“I can’t thank you enough. Please allow us to give you a portion of the reward,” offered the Mandalorian.

“I cannot accept. You are my guest, and I am therefore in your service,” he declined. Walking around Mando, he put his tools in his bag.

“We could use a crew member of your ability. And we can pay.”

“A lot,” added Beatrice.

He looked at them. “I am honoured, but I have worked a lifetime to finally be free of servitude.”

“Then allow us to offer you our thanks,” said Beatrice.

“And I offer mine. Thank you for bringing peace to my valley,” said the Ugnaught, pointing to the desert. He then got out of the ship, mounting his blurrg, both bounty hunters watching him from the Razor.

“And good luck with the Child. May it survive and bring you a handsome reward.” He made a small pause. “I have spoken.” He then nodded his head. Both Mando and Beatrice nodded back.

They entered the cockpit, the child behind them. Beatrice sat down in one of the copilot chairs as the Mandalorian powered the engine. The Ugnaught waved goodbye from the ground, to which Mando nodded again and Beatrice waved back. The ship lifted off, leaving behind Arvala-7. Once in outer space, Mando looked back to the kid, seeing that it did not move. He rocked the pod, trying to get a reaction out of it. His partner glanced at him worried, then at the kid. When the kid snored lightly, both bounty hunters relaxed. The Mandalorian turned around to pilot the ship, Beatrice still looking at the child. The kid moved, and then he straightened up in his capsule.

“Hey there, little guy. Did you sleep well?” She got up and walked to the pod. He cooed, looking around him. She watched him with a smile on her lips. Then she frowned. “Mando,” she called to him. He didn’t make any sound, but she knew she had his attention. “Are we really going to give a little kid to the Empire?”

He didn’t answer.


	3. The Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no updates in almost a year and then two in a month??? Yeah, you can guest my update schedule is a bit inconsistent. Anyways, enjoy :D

Beatrice stared through the window in the cockpit, contemplating the stars as Mando piloted the Razor, the beeps and clicks of the ship relaxing her. She looked to the pod, watching the kid silently. He was searching around the ship with his big eyes, analyzing everything that surrounded him. She chuckled lightly when the kid got off the capsule, walking towards the Mandalorian, staring mesmerized at the ball on one of the Razor’s levers. Another machine beeped, signaling an incoming message. Mando pressed a button, still unaware of the child next to him, and the message played. A hologram of Greef Karga popped up.

“Mando! I received your transmission. Wonderful news. Upon your return, deliver the quarry directly to the client,” he chuckled. “I have no idea if he wants to eat it or hang it on his wall, but he’s very antsy. Safe passage. You know where to find me.” The hologram disappeared. Meanwhile, the kid had managed to unscrew the ball from the lever and was trying to put it in his mouth. Beatrice was looking fondly at him and snorted at his antics.

“It’s not a toy.” The Mandalorian took the ball out of his mouth and out of his reach, putting him back on his pod by the hood of his robes. The child watched him, sad. Mando glanced back for a second before turning around.

Beatrice’s happy humour turned sour when she spotted the world in front of them.

“Mando?” He looked at her. “Are we really doing this?” After leaving Arvala-7, she started getting doubts about the job. The client had said the kid was 50 years old, but he looked like a baby. She had seen the evil the Empire had done to the Galaxy, what would they do to him? The Mandalorian thought for a moment, turning to the child.

“Yes,” he said, looking forward again, the Razor drawing closer to the planet.

* * *

The Razor Crest landed on the outskirts of a town in Nevarro. They both got out of the ship, the child behind them on the pod. As they walked, the kid looked curiously at the people who wandered the town’s market. Once in the place where the client awaited, Mando knocked on the door.

“I’m still not sure about this Mando.” The droid from last time greeted them. Mando showed it a disc with their identity and the warehouse opened. The kid switched from watching the bounty hunters to watching the door, clearly confused, then again to them.

“That Beskar belongs to my people,” he responded annoyed, they had discussed this already. “And I’m going to bring it back.“

Two troopers came to the entrance and signaled them to follow, the exit closing behind them. One of the troopers roughly yanked the pod.

“Easy with that,” said Mando.

“You take it easy,” responded him. Beatrice was about to remove his hand from the kid’s crib when the Mandalorian grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. She sighed and continued walking.

“Yes.” The client was in the same room as the previous time. He got up from behind the table with a tracking fob, approaching the capsule. “Yes, yes, yes.” The closer he went, the higher the beeps. “Yes.“

Doctor Pershing scanned the Child with a glowing red device while the bounty hunters watched. The machine beeped.

“Very healthy, yes,” he stated.

The client straightened up, looking at them. “Your reputation was not unwarranted.“

“How many fobs did you give out?” asked the Mandalorian.

“This asset was of extreme importance to me. I had to ensure its delivery.” He turned around, walking towards the table. “But to the winners-” He lifted a camtono and a bag from under it- “go the spoils.” He then opened the camtono, showing them the two large stacks of Beskar inside. The Mandalorian approached the table and took a couple of ingots to inspect them. “The bag has credits in it, they are all yours,” the client said to Beatrice. “Such a large bounty for such a small package.”

The Mandalorian followed the pod with his eyes until it disappeared into the next room, following the doctor.

“I…” Mando looked at his partner. She was staring at the bag, but she seemed lost in thought. “I don’t want them, keep your credits.”

“What? Why?” the client asked perplexed. She didn’t answer, shook her head and turned around ready to leave. She walked a few steps, stopping when she didn’t hear her companion’s footsteps. She looked at him. He was still looking at the door.

“What are your plans for it?” the Mandalorian asked. Beatrice turned, surprised by the question.

“How uncharacteristic of one of your reputation. You have taken both, commission and payment.” The client’s tone was menacing, and Beatrice's instincts made her draw closer to Mando and put her hand on her blaster. More Stormtroopers slowly entered the room. “Is it not the code of the guild that these events are now forgotten? That Beskar is enough to make a handsome replacement for your armor.” Mando placed in the camtono the lingots of Beskar he had taken. “Unfortunately, finding a Mandalorian in these trying times is more difficult than finding the steel.”

Mando was looking intensely at the client. Beatrice felt the tension growing in the room and grabbed his shoulder. The Mandalorian closed the camtono and both bounty hunters left the warehouse.

* * *

Out of the warehouse, Beatrice was still thinking about the kid. The Mandalorian stopped walking.

“Why didn’t you take the credits?” he asked.

She stopped beside him and looked up at his helmet. “He looked so sad when they took him.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Beatrice sighed. “I couldn’t. It felt…” She paused, searching for the right word, gesturing nervously with her hands. “Wrong.”

“It was a job, we did what we were supposed to,” Mando said, mostly trying to reassure himself, forcing him to believe it was the right option.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she lowered her head and said to herself, “or that it was the good thing to do.”

Still the Mandalorian heard her, tensing up at her words.

“Just, forget it, you’re right. It was a job, and we completed it. Is in the past now.” Her mood changed completely. “I guess you will want to take that back to your people, so I’m going to get back to the ship and look if we need something before going to see Greef. See you later?” She walked away without waiting for an answer from the Mandalorian. Even if she was smiling, he could see right through her.

“Hey.” She turned around. He watched her for a second before speaking. “I’m sorry.”

She smiled sadly at him and continued walking.

* * *

Mando entered the Mandalorians’ lair. He walked straight to the Armorer, ignoring the curious glares the other Mandalorians were giving him. He put the camtono on her table and opened it, sitting cross-legged in front of her. She slowly picked up the Beskar, inspecting it. Some Mandalorians approached them.

“This amount can be shaped in many ways,” she said, taking the lingots from the camtono.

“My armor has lost its integrity. I may need to begin again.”

The Armorer paused for a second, looking at him. Then continued. “Indeed. I can form a full cuirass. This would be in order for your station.”

“That would be a great honour.”

“I must warn you, it will draw many eyes.”

One of the Mandalorians took a lingot in his hands. He huffed. “These were cast in an Imperial smelter.” He showed the piece to the other Mandalorians. “These are the spoils of the Great Purge. The reason we live hidden like sandrats.” He tossed the Beskar back to the table.

The Armorer took the lingot and put it with the others. "Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength.”

“Our strength was once in our numbers,” retorted the other Mandalorian. “Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground one at a time.” He was angry, if at him or at the Empire, Mando couldn’t tell. “Our world was shattered by the Empire with whom this coward shares tables.”

The other Mandalorian came closer to Mando, grabbing his helmet. Instinctively, he lifted his hand and held the other Mandalorian’s arm. He then grabbed Mando’s helmet with both hands and yanked, making him stand up. The Armorer continued to place the lingots of Beskar in order as the two Mandalorians fought and the others watched. They both drew their daggers, merely scratching each other’s armor, before the Armorer stood up.

“The Empire is no longer, and the Beskar has returned.” They looked at her, both their knifes at each other’s neck. “When one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life? Have you ever removed your helmet?”

“No,” Mando said immediately.

“Has it ever been removed by others?”

He hesitated. Had anyone taken his helmet? “Never.” But had he ever wanted to get it removed by someone, even just for a second?

“This is the way,” said the Armorer.

“This is the way,” the Mandalorians replied.

Both Mandalorians lowered their knifes.

“This is the way,” repeated the other Mandalorian.

“What caused this damage?” asked the Armorer, poiting to his armor.

“A mudhorn,” answered Mando.

“Then you have earned the mudhorn as your signet.” She sat down again. “I shall craft it.”

“I can’t accept.” He sat down too. “It... wasn’t a noble kill. I was... helped by an enemy.”

“Why would an enemy help you in battle?” she asked, surprised.

“It… did not know it was my enemy.”

“Since you forgo a signet, I shall use the excess to forge whistling birds.”

“Whistling birds will do well. Reserve some for the Foundlings.”

“As it should always be. The Foundlings are the future,” she said. “This is the way.” The other Mandalorians chanted with her.

“This is the way,” repeated Mando.

The Armorer began her work, melting the lingots in the forge.

“Whistling birds are a powerful defense against multiple enemies. Use them sparingly, for they are rare.” She gave him some and walked back to the furnace to design the new armor. As the Armorer worked on the new chest plate, he fell silent, the sounds of the forge making him remember. He remembered the suffering, the desperation. The death. He remembered how his parents spent their last minutes protecting him and making sure he was safe. How they were taken away from him by the hands of a machine. He thought in how he never forgot. In how he never forgave.

* * *

Beatrice sat awkwardly in the same table as Greef Karga. He was discussing with another man.

“Look, I told you I’m not interested in your excuses,” he said.

The other man argued in a language unknown to her.

“You had your shot, dust breather, but you failed. No pucks for you. Now get outta here.” The man went away grumbling. Greef looked at her “Sorry for that, what were you saying?”

Before she could answer the doors to the cantina opened, the whole place going silent. The Mandalorian walked in, new armor on. He went straight to their table. Beatrice didn’t take her eyes from him, mouth slightly agape in awe, not even as he stood beside their table.

“Ah! Mando!” exclaimed Karga, chuckling. “They all hate you, Mando. Because you’re a legend!”

“How many of them had tracking fobs?” he asked.

“All of them. ALL of them!” He signaled to the whole cantina. “But not one of them closed the deal. Only you two, Mando. Only you two. And with it, the richest reward this parsec has ever seen. Please, sit my friend.”

The Mandalorian took his rifle off his back and sat near his partner.

“You look nice,” she whispered. “So shiny.”

The Mandalorian watched her for a second before looking back at Greef.

“They’re all weighing the Beskar in their minds but not me. No. I, for one, I celebrate your success. Because it is my success as well. Hell...” Greef pulled out two lingots of Beskar out of his jacket. “Even I’m rich. Now, how can I show my gratitude to my most valuable partners?”

Beatrice glanced at her partner, not sure of what he would say.

“I want our next job,” he responded. She sighed.

“Next job?” asked Karga incredulous. Mando nodded subtly. “Take some time off. Enjoy yourself.” He looked around and tried to whisper so Beatrice couldn’t hear him. “Take the lady to the Twi’lek healing baths.”

“Just,” interrupted her. “Give us another job.”

“Sure. Fine. You hunters like to keep busy, right? Well, these-” he said putting some bounty pucks in the table- “are all far away.”

“The further, the better,” said Mando, taking the pucks. Beatrice came closer to the Mandalorian, looking at the pucks with him.

“Well, take your pick. You’ve earned it.”

Beatrice pointed at one, and Mando placed it on the table, turning on the hologram.

“Ah... that’s the best of the lot. A nobleman’s son. Skipped bail. Looks like you’re headed to the ocean dunes of Karnac.”

“We’ll take that one,” said Beatrice, getting up from the table.

The Mandalorian grabbed the puck and got up as well, taking his rifle, but then stopped.

“Any idea what they’re gonna do with it?” he asked. His partner halted too, looking back at him, confused. That was the second time he had asked about the child’s fate.

“With what?” asked Greef.

The Mandalorian turned to look at him. “The kid.”

“I didn’t ask. It’s against the Guild Code.”

“They work for the Empire.”

“What are they doing here?” chimed in Beatrice.

“The Empire is gone, guys. All that are left are mercenaries and warlords. But if it bothers you, just go back to the Core and report them to the New Republic.”

“That’s a joke,” said Mando.

“Enjoy your rewards,” he thought for a moment. “Buy a camtono of spice. By the time you come out of hyperdrive you both will have forgotten all about it.”

Beatrice grabbed Mando’s shoulder. He turned around, and they left the cantina.

* * *

Beatrice sat down in her seat in the Razor Crest’s cockpit, sighing. Mando turned on the engine of the ship, pressing buttons and flicking switches. His hand stopped mid air when he reached for one of the levers. Beatrice watched him.

“Forgot something?” She looked at the lever. It was the one the kid had been trying to play with. She frowned. Mando took the ball and screwed it on back at its place. He slowly pushed the lever, but didn’t move after that. Beatrice stood up.

“Hey, Mando, are you okay?” she said, gently grabbing his left forearm. He suddenly turned off the ship, making her release his arm. He turned his chair around, getting up himself. “Are we going back for the kid?” she asked excited.

“Yes,” he said, exiting the cockpit, Beatrice behind him.

* * *

They walked to the market, entering an alleyway ending right in front of the warehouse where they had delivered the kid. Mando motioned Beatrice to follow him to another alleyway. There was a dumpster, with the kid’s pod inside. Beatrice smacked her partner’s arm and pointed at the trash can when he looked at her. They went closer to the dumpster, inspecting the pod. Mando signaled up, and they climbed to the roof of the building nearby. Once up, he lied down on the floor, Beatrice next to him. He took his rifle out and activated his helmet’s thermic vision.

“What’s going on?” asked his partner, unable to hear anything, but keeping an eye out for Stortroopers with her binoculars.

“I don’t care,” the client said, the audio almost unintelligible because of the static. “I order you to extract the necessary material and be done with it.”

“They are talking about the kid,” Mando answered her.

“…He has explicitly ordered us to bring it back alive,” said Dr. Pershing.

“Finish your business quickly, as I no longer can guarantee your safety.”

“Whoever wants the kid, they want it alive.” He looked at her.

“So, he’s fine?”

“For now.”

“Then,” she stood up, “let’s save the little thing.”

* * *

Both bounty hunters walked to the entrance. Beatrice knocked twice and put her back to the door, the Mandalorian copying her. The same droid as always peeked its head out. Mando grabbed it and the droid started screaming before he tore it apart. Then they walked away.

The two Stormtroopers guarding the entrance exited the warehouse.

“Check the perimeter,” one of them said.

Once on the other side of the building, the Mandalorian placed a detonator in the wall. He then hid with his back to another wall, where Beatrice was already. The bomb went off, and the alarms started blaring. Two Stormtroopers ran towards the hole the detonator had created. Mando and Beatrice came from behind a pile of boxes and shot them. The door opened, and another Stormtrooper entered the room, walking to Beatrice.

“Hands up!”

Before he could do anything Mando attacked him, snatched his gun and knocked him down with. Beatrice walked towards them and killed him. They wandered the halls, searching for the kid. A Stormtrooper guarded one of the doors. Mando stretched his arm out, stopping Beatrice, then used the other to throw his grappling cable to the guard, drawing him towards himself and stabbing him. The door opened and the Stormtrooper inside shot Mando in the shoulder. Beatrice shot him from behind the Mandalorian and the two of them entered the room, gun in hand.

“No, no, no, no, please.” Dr. Pershing stood in front of a bed. An IT-O Interrogation Unit hovered over it. “Please. No. No, no.”

Mando shot the machine, which fell down, and pointed his gun to the doctor.

“No, please. Please, don’t hurt him. It’s just a child.” Beatrice went closer to the bed while Mando still aimed at the doctor. “Please. No.” Pershing raised his hands, trying to grab Beatrice, but the Mandalorian rushed to him and tossed him to the floor. “No!”

Mando pointed his gun at him. The man kept begging from the floor.

“I think he’s sleeping,” Beatrice said, inspecting the child. Mando glanced at them before looking back to the doctor.

“What did you do to it?” he asked the doctor.

“I-”

“What did you do to it?!” he asked again, louder this time.

“I- I protected him! I protected him! If it wasn’t for me, he would already be dead!” he whimpered. While the man begged for his life, Beatrice took the kid and both bounty hunters left.

* * *

Mando walked in front of her, while she had the kid in one hand and her pistol in the other. A door opened, two Stormtroopers passing by. Mando pushed Beatrice gently behind a pile of boxes, standing close to her, one hand hovering above her arm and the other grabbing his gun. When the two troopers had passed, the bounty hunters continued searching for the exit.

They arrived at a storeroom. A pair of Stormtroopers went in and shot at them. Mando elbowed a panel, turning off the lights. Beatrice ducks behind some crates, Mando following her, hiding in the boxes right in front of her.

“Split up. We’ll flush them out,” one of the troopers said, turning on his flashlight, the others doing the same.

Mando gestured to Beatrice, telling her to stay put.

“Give it up! There’s no-” Mando moved from behind the crates, hitting the Stormtrooper closer to him, tossing him towards the boxes and knocking him out. The other trooper aimed his gun at his nape. A shot was heard, and the soldier fell down, Beatrice standing behind him lowering her hand, the kid still asleep in her arm. Mando turned around and stared at her. The door opened, a Stormtrooper entering. Before he could do anything, the Mandalorian electrocuted him with his rifle. He looked back at his partner.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” she said.

“I told you to stay hidden.”

She huffed. “Really? I saved your ass, Mando.” They walked out of the storeroom, a Stormtrooper attacking them, both bounty hunters shooting him.

From behind them, another trooper shot at them, Beatrice hardly dodging it. Mando grabbed her from the waist, bringing her close to him and turning on his flamethrower, scorching the soldier. Beatrice looked from the burned body up to Mando’s helmet.

“We’re even,” he said, releasing her and walking in the direction the last trooper came from.

They entered the meeting room where they had talked with the client. The door on the other side of the room opened, and two soldiers came from it. “Freeze! Don’t move!” they shouted.

Two more came from behind them. “Hands up! Drop the blasters!”

“Wait. What she’s holding is very valuable,” Mando said. He looked at his partner and nodded. She crouched slowly, leaving the kid and the gun on the floor gently. “Here...” Mando did the same, putting down his blaster.

“Now turn and face me!” said one of the troopers.

Mando activated his whistling birds.

“Stand up!”

With a movement of his wrist, the whistling birds flew away, hitting and killing every soldier in the room. He quickly turned his head towards his partner. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she said, a little out of breath. “Peachy.”

She took her blaster and the kid from the floor and stood up, following Mando out of the building and into the market.

* * *

It was dark outside. As they walked through the streets, they could feel people following them.

“Mando…” whispered Beatrice, tightening her grip on the child.

“I know.” His hand hovered above his blaster.

Near the entrance of the town, close to the Razor Crest, they were surrounded by other bounty hunters, Greef Karga stopping them.

“Welcome back. Now put the package down,” he said.

“Step aside. We’re going to our ship.” Mando stretched his arm out, placing Beatrice and the child behind him.

Karga chuckled. “Tell her to put the bounty down and perhaps I’ll let you pass.”

Beatrice took a step forward. “If you think I’m giving you the kid without a fight-”

Some bounty hunters pointed their guns to her. The Mandalorian grabbed her arm, and she looked at him, but he kept his gaze on Karga. “The kid’s coming with me.”

“If you truly care about the kid, then you put it on the speeder and we’ll discuss terms.”

“How do I know we can trust you?” Mando asked.

“Because I’m your only hope.”

The Mandalorian stared at him for a few seconds, before pulling gently his partner by the arm towards the speeder. As they walked, he whispered to her. “When I let go of your arm, you jump into the speeder and shoot at everything that moves.” Beatrice subtly nodded her head.

They stood in front of the speeder for a few moments, the other bounty hunters growing closer to them. Beatrice took a breath and put her hand on her blaster. Mando looked at her.

He released her and started shooting with his other hand. Beatrice hopped into the speeder and put the kid safe between the cargo, lying down and shooting at the bounty hunters. The other bounty hunters took shelter in the crates scattered around. Mando jumped into the speeder as well, falling on top of her. She murmured an ‘oof you’re heavy‘ before he rolled out of her. She started firing again.

“Drive!” he angrily shouted to the droid in the speeder. When the droid didn’t start driving, he pointed his gun to it. “DRIVE!”

The droid moved the speeder forward. As they advanced, Beatrice shot at the bounty hunters coming from the roofs, and Mando took care of the ones in the street. Greef Karga aimed at the droid and shot it, making it collide with some plastic barrels and stopping the speeder. The bounty hunters grew closer to the speeder, seeing no movement from inside it. The Mandalorian slowly took out his rifle, aimed at one bounty hunter, and disintegrated him. The others ran to hide. Beatrice stood still, lying down in the speeder, the kid secure in her arms, as Mando kept shooting.

“That’s one impressive weapon,” Karga said.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” said Mando. “We’re gonna walk to my ship with the kid and you’re gonna let it happen.”

“Nah... How about this,” Karga said, motioning other bounty hunters to come close to the speeder. “WE take the kid, and if you try to stop us we kill you and we strip your bodies for parts.”

One of the bounty hunters grabbed Beatrice by the foot. She turned around and shot him. Mando noticed another one creeping behind the first one and electrocuted him, making him fall backwards.

More bounty hunters approached them. Beatrice ducked, and the Mandalorian used his flamethrower to push them back until it ran out of fuel. The fire continued, and he laid down, grabbing his partner, who was still shooting, with him. He wrapped his arms around her and the kid, bringing them closer to him to protect them from the fire blasts. She got as close to him as possible, without crushing the kid. The child opened his eyes in that moment. She looked down at him and then looked back up to Mando’s helmet.

“We’re not gonna make it this time, right?” she said with a sad smile on her face.

He didn’t answer her, he only brought her closer with one hand and put the other in his blaster, ready to shoot again. He wouldn’t let her die. Not now. Not never. Not her.

Just as he was about to get up and shoot, something shot a bounty hunter who fell from a roof. Half a dozen Mandalorians wearing jet packs appeared from nowhere, shooting at the bounty hunters. Both Beatrice and Mando started shooting, too. Greef Karga took advantage of the confusion and ran off. A Mandalorian, the same one Mando had fought with previously that same day, descended from the sky carrying a laser machine gun.

“Get outta here. We’ll hold them off,” he said.

“You’re going to have to relocate the covert,” Mando said.

“This is the way,” the other Mandalorian stopped shooting.

“This is the way,” responded Mando. The other Mandalorian continued to fire.

The two bounty hunters stopped firing and ran towards the Razor Crest. They boarded the ship, and Beatrice let out a light chuckle.

“I seriously thought we wouldn’t make it,” she told her partner.

“I wouldn’t sing victory yet if I were you.”

The voice behind her made her stop abruptly and slowly turn around. Greef Karga stood behind them, blaster pointed at her. Mando tried to reach for his gun.

“If you take out that blaster, I will paint the ship with her brains,” Karga said. Unable to move because of the child in her hands, Beatrice stared at Greef.

“I didn’t want it to come to this. But then you broke the Code.”

Seconds passed by, the air tense. Suddenly, Mando shot his grappling hook into a pipe of the ship, spraying fumes and making it impossible for Karga to aim. Beatrice ducked as Greef started shooting at the mist. Mando shot a single blast in Karga’s chest that threw him out of the Razor’s bay. Both of them entered the cockpit. Beatrice put the kid in the other copilot seat and sat in hers. The ship took off, leaving both Mandalorians and bounty hunters behind.

As the sun rose, Beatrice stood up and walked to Mando, leaning on his chair as he piloted.

“Do you think they will be alright?” she asked.

In that moment, the Mandalorian from before flew to the side of the ship.

“Seems like it.” The other Mandalorian saluted them, both bounty hunters nodding their heads to him, before he took off away. “I gotta get one of those...”

Beatrice laughed before looking at the child, who had got down of the chair and approached them. He extended his hand, trying to take the ball again. Mando reached for the lever and unscrewed the ball, letting it fall into the kid’s hand.

“Oooooh, that’s cute,” Beatrice said, patting his shoulder before going back to her chair. She couldn’t see it, but Mando smiled the tiniest of smiles under his helmet. He flew away from Nevarro and jumped into hyperspace.


	4. Sanctuary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone!

Mando piloted quietly the ship, the child sitting in the panel on his right. The kid looked around, clearly bored, fixing his gaze on one of the buttons on the panel. He pressed it and, with a soft beep, the green light turned off. Not seeing any reaction from the Mandalorian, he pressed the button a second time, powering the machine up again.

“Stop touching things.”

The kid looked up at him. Without taking his eyes from Mando, he pushed another button, making the Razor shake. The Mandalorian quickly turned it off and put the child in his lap, away from the switches. Beatrice entered the cockpit in that moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“What are you two doing? Trying to take the ship apart?” She walked towards the pilot chair and settled her hand on its back.

The Mandalorian glanced at her before signaling to the map.

“We’re close to Sorgan. Looks like there is no star port, no industrial centers, no population density. A real backwater skug hole,” he said. The kid looked up to his face.

“Which means it’s perfect for us,” she replied.

The Mandalorian looked to the kid. “Ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat? Nobody’s gonna find us here.”

Beatrice gasped and hit softly Mando’s arm. “Don’t call him that! Come here, baby, ignore the rude man.” She took the child from his arms and sat down on her own chair as Mando entered the atmosphere of the planet.

* * *

Mando landed the ship in a clearing inside the woods. Both bounty hunters got up from their chairs, Beatrice with the kid in her arms. Mando turned to her, but looked at the kid as he spoke.

“Now listen, we’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna look around. It shouldn’t take too long.” He gently took the kid from his partner’s arms and put him in his seat.

“Now... Don’t touch anything. We’ll find us some lodging, then we’ll come back for you.” He made a pause. “You. Stay. Right. Here. You stay. Don’t move. You understand?” The kid looked confused. “Great.”

Beatrice looked at the kid before looking back to Mando. “I don’t think he got anything of what you said.”

He looked at her, then at the kid, then at her again.

“He did.”

The Mandalorian turned around and walked out of the cockpit. Beatrice sighed and stroked the boy’s head before stepping out after Mando, coming down the stairs that connected the cockpit to the rest of the ship as he opened the ramp. The two of them heard coos and looked down, finding the kid at their feet, watching them. Beatrice laughed as Mando rolled his neck and sighed.

“I told you he didn’t get it,” she said, still laughing a bit.

“Oh, what the hell... Come on.” Both bounty hunters started walking, the kid slowly following them.

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. He sure as hell is fast,” she said smiling.

* * *

They walked through the woods until they reached a common house. It was filled with people of all kinds of races, happily talking among themselves. The two bounty hunters walked slowly and quietly, the kid in tow behind them. He looked around the common house, curiously watching his surroundings. A loth-cat growled at him as he passed by, scaring him. A woman sat on one of the tables, dark hair resting on her fit shoulders. Her brown eyes looked at the three of them, interested. Mando picked up the kid and put him on a toddler’s chair, sitting down at the table himself. Beatrice sat down as well.

A woman approached them, wiping her hands on a cloth.

“Welcome travellers. Can I interest you in anything?” she asked.

“Bone broth, for the little one,” Mando said.

“Another one for me,” said Beatrice.

“Oh, well, you’re in luck. I just took down a grinjer, so there’s plenty.” The woman looked at Mando. “Can I interest you in a porringer of broth as well?”

Mando shook his head. “Just two.”

“Very well-”

He interrupted her. “That one over there, when did she arrive?”

She looked behind her to the brunette woman sitting a few tables away, who averted her gaze.

“Uh... I’ve seen her here for the last week or so.”

“What’s her business here?” he asked. Beatrice looked at the woman in the other table. She couldn’t recognize her face.

“Business? Oh, well... there’s not much business in Sorgan so I can’t say...” As she spoke, the Mandalorian tossed some coins on the table. The woman looked at the coins. “She doesn’t strike me as a log runner... Well, thank you, sir.” She took the coins. “I will get those broths to you as soon as possible, and I will throw in a flagon of spotchka, just for good measure. I’ll be right back with that.”

“I don’t thin she understood you were trying to bribe her, Mando,” said Beatrice amused as the woman left to bring them the broths. Mando got up without responding to her. “Where are you going?” She looked to where the woman was sitting to find the spot empty.

“Keep and eye on the kid,” he said, leaving.

“What? Mando!”

Before she could react, he was already out of the common house. Once out, he activated the infrared sensors of his helmet to track the woman’s footprints. He followed her trail until it suddenly stopped. The woman ambushed him from above, kicking him right in the chest, forcing him to fumble back. She then punched him in the head, shoving him to the wall behind him. She went for another punch, which he dodged before hitting her in the stomach and grabbing her by the neck. She released his grip on her, kneed him, and threw him away. She tried to kick him, but failed. The Mandalorian struck her twice in the face before she dodged him and punched him back. Grabbing her arm, he hit her on the stomach again, this time making her lose her breath. She quickly recovered and grabbed him by the throat, punching him and sending him to the floor. Both of them paused, trying to catch their breaths. The Mandalorian turned on his flamethrower, aiming it at her, but the woman stepped on his arm and gripped his neck. He managed to roll them over, standing above her. She kicked him, making him fly forwards, landing on his back. They rolled on the ground before stopping and taking out their blasters, pointing at each other.

“Are you done?”

Both the Mandalorian and the woman looked up. Beatrice stood there with the child in her arms, sipping his broth. Mando looked to the woman, still a bit breathless.

“You want some soup?”

* * *

The three of them plus the kid sat on a table back at the common house. The woman, whose name was Cara, was talking about her life before coming to Sargan.

“Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor, mostly ex-Imperial warlords,” she said. “They wanted it fast and quiet. They’d send us in on the drop ships. No support, just us. Then when the Imps were gone, the politics started. We were peacekeepers, protecting delegates, suppressing riots.” She paused “Not what I signed up for.”

“How’d you end up here?” asked Mando.

“Let’s just call it an early retirement.” She sipped from her bowl. “Look, I knew you were Guild. I figured you had a fob on me. That’s why I came at you so hard.”

“That’s understandable,” Beatrice said, finishing her own bowl.

“Well, this has been a real treat.” She got up from her sit. “But unless you wanna go another round, someone is gonna have to move on, and I was here first.” She finished her broth and left.

The Mandalorian turned to his partner and to the child. “Well, looks like this planet’s taken.”

“But I liked the view,” Beatrice complained, sighing dramatically. She got up, Mando doing the same. “Now where?”

“We’ll figure something out.”

* * *

The Mandalorian worked on some repairs to the ship. Beatrice leaned on its side, quietly watching him work. Two men approached them, and Beatrice’s hand went to her holster. As the men came closer, she relaxed. They were civilians.

“Excuse me,” one of the men said.

Seeing no answer from neither of them, the other man, the one with a beard, tried again. “Excuse me, sir, ma’am?”

“There something I can help you with?” asked the Mandalorian without looking up from his work. He walked to other part of the ship, working on it as well.

“Uh... Yeah... Raiders,” the bearded man said.

“We have money,” said the other.

“Do we look like mercenaries?” asked Beatrice, crossing her arms. The two men looked at each other.

“Well… He’s a Mandalorian, right?”

“Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor...” the bearded man said. “That is Mandalorian armor, right?”

“It is,” answered Mando, going back to where he was before, not having looked at the men yet.

“See?! I told him. Sir, I’ve read a lot about your people... er... tri- tribe...,” the man stammered. “If half of what I read is true-”

“We have money,” interrupted the other.

“How much?” asked Mando

“It’s everything we have. Our whole harvest was stolen.”

“Krill... We’re... krill farmers.”

“We brew spotchka. Our whole village chipped in.”

The Mandalorian finally looked at them. The man without a beard had a small bag in his hand, presumably full of credits.

“It’s not enough.” With that, he and Beatrice walked to the ramp, the two men following behind.

“Are you sure? You don’t even know what the job is.”

“We’re not exactly cheap, and we have problems of our own,” Beatrice said. The sooner they left Sorgan, the sooner they would find another planet to stay.

“This is everything we have. We’ll give you more after the next harvest.”

The hatch opened and the two men stumbled back, startled. The bounty hunters walked up the ramp.

“Come on. Let’s head back,” the bearded man said.

“Took us the whole day to get here,” the other one complained. “Now we have to ride back with no protection to the middle of nowhere.”

At this the Mandalorian stopped, his partner looking at him. He turned.

“Where do you live?”

“At a farm. Weren’t you listening? We’re farmers.”

“In the middle of nowhere?”

“Yes,” he confusedly answered.

Beatrice caught up with her partner’s thoughts.

“You have somewhere we could stay for a while?” she asked.

“Yeah. Absolutely,” the bearded man said, hopeful.

“Good,” Mando said. “Come up and help.”

The two men followed the bounty hunters into the ship, helping them load their things into the sled they have brought. The kid sat on the sled, oblivious at what was happening.

“I’m gonna need one more thing.” Mando extended his hand to the beardless man. “Give me those credits.”

* * *

Cara slept peacefully, leaning against a tree, with her gun on her hand. A bonfire beside her. The Mandalorian threw the bag with the money the villagers had given him to the floor, near her. She woke up startled and pointed the pistol to him.

“Ready for round two?”

* * *

The farmers drove the sled through the woods. Both bounty hunters were sitting on the right side of the car with their legs stretched, Cara resting on the other side, and the kid between them.

“So, we’re basically running off a band of raiders for lunch money?” Cara asked.

“They’re quartering us is in the middle of nowhere,” answered Mando. “Last I checked, that’s a pretty square deal for somebody in your position. Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we’re a deterrent. I can’t imagine there’s anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn’t handle.”

Cara smirked at him. He leaned back and extended his arms along the edge of the car, one of them right behind Beatrice. The child copied him, laying completely down watching the stars. The two women stayed up without talking, enjoying the silence. Mando’s breathing became slower. Beatrice smiled at him before looking to the kid, watching him sleep. After a while, Cara spoke.

“So…” Beatrice looked at her. “How long have you two been together?”

Beatrice thought for a moment. “About seven or eight years, I think.”

“Does he look like that under the helmet?” She pointed to the child with her chin.

“No.” Beatrice said, chuckling. “I mean, at least I don’t think so.”

“You haven’t seen him without the helmet?” asked Cara, surprised.

She shook her head and looked at her partner. “Never.“

“Is the kid adopted or something?”

“No?” Beatrice answered, confused. “Is a…” She glanced at the child, unsure if it was a good idea to tell her. “He’s not his kid.”

Cara nodded. “You two don’t want kids, then?” she asked.

“What?” responded Beatrice, even more confused than before. Then it hit her. “Oh, you think we-? No, no no no, we’re not- We are partners, nothing more.” She looked at Mando again. “Only partners…” she added softly.

“Nothing more, huh?” said Cara, a smirk on her face. She then leaned back, still smiling, and closed her eyes.

Beatrice did the same, resting her head on Mando’s forearm and closing her eyes.

* * *

They arrived at the farming village at morning. It was small, in a clearing inside the woods, with few people living there. Cara was the first to wake up when the sled halted. Mando raised his head and looked down, finding his arm around his partner and his hand grabbing her elbow. She was still sleeping, with her face on his shoulder and her right palm on his chest plate. He looked at her for a second before squeezing her twice, waking her up, and then retiring his arm from hers. She yawned and stretched before looking around, realizing they had already stopped. There were kids running towards them, laughing and shouting gleefully. They got close to the sled, admiring the child.

“Well, looks like they are happy to see us,” Mando said.

“Looks like,” said Cara.

Beatrice nodded, still half asleep.

Farmers arrived to the sled as the three of them got down from it and started unloading the cargo. The kids from the village gathered around the child and played with him.

The Mandalorian and Beatrice walked to one of the huts, followed by the kid, and waited by the door. Mando was carrying a small yellow box. A woman was inside, pulling up the blinds. She glanced at them.

“Please come in,” she said. They entered the hut. “I hope this is comfortable for you. Sorry that all we have is the barn.” She looked at Beatrice. “Maybe you'd rather sleep with-”

“This will do fine,” interrupted Mando. He had put the box on the floor and had his back to the two women.

The woman nodded, clearly intimidated by the Mandalorian. Beatrice looked at her.

“I’m Beatrice.” She extended her hand to the woman, who took it and shook it.

“Omera.” She smiled. “I stacked some blankets over here,” she said, pointing behind her.

“Thank you. That’s... very kind,” responded the Mandalorian. He kneeled in front of the box, putting things out of it. Beatrice went towards him. A kid slowly walked to the door of the hut, startling Mando. He rapidly turned and stood up, one hand on his gun holster and the other stretched out to Beatrice, moving her behind him. The kid gasped and hid behind the wall.

“Mando,” whispered Beatrice, grabbing his arm. “Is a kid.”

He relaxed his arms, and Beatrice let go of him. Omera walked to the kid and held her tight to her side, the child immediately hugging her.

“This is my daughter, Winta,” she said. “We don’t get a lot of visitors around here. She’s not used to strangers.” She looked down at her daughter, sweetly caressing her head. “This nice people are going to help protect us from the bad ones.”

“Thank you,” said Winta, softly.

Both bounty hunters nodded, Beatrice smiling at the scared child. 

“Come on, Winta. Let’s give our guests some room.”

At that, both mother and daughter left.

* * *

The Mandalorian cleaned his rifle while Beatrice played with the kid. He was in a crib, smiling to her as she tickled him.

“Knock, knock.” Omera stood in the in the barn's doorframe. Beatrice smiled at her.

“Come in,” said Mando.

She entered with a tray of food, her daughter right behind her. Winta stood shyly at her side, with food on her hands. She looked at her mother, who smiled and subtly nodded.

“Can I feed him?”

Beatrice stood up from beside the crib. “Of course.”

Winta kneeled by the cradle, holding up the food. She offered it to the kid, who ate it gleefully. Beatrice smiled at the sight.

“Are you hungry?” Winta asked, giggling. She looked to the Mandalorian. “Can I play with him?”

Mando put down his rifle and sighed. “Sure.” He then took the child out of the crib and set him on the floor.

“Come on!” Winta left the barn, the kid behind her.

Mando rushed behind them, worried, but his partner stopped him.

“I don’t think-” he tried to say, but Beatrice interrupted him.

“He’ll be fine.”

“I don’t-”

“He’ll be fine,” she repeated. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’ll go with them, okay? Don’t worry,” she said, looking to his helmet. He stared at her and slowly nodded. She let go of his hand and left the barn, following the kids.

Omera smiled at the scene in front of her, Mando still looking at the door where his partner just went. “I brought you some food. I noticed you didn’t eat out there. I’ll leave it here for when I go.”

He looked at her. “That’s very thoughtful of you.” He turned away and continued cleaning his rifle.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” he answered without looking at her.

“How long has it been since you’ve taken that off?”

He thought for a second. “Yesterday.”

“I mean in front of someone else.”

He stopped cleaning and turned around. He walked to the window and pointed outside. Some kids were playing with the child as Beatrice watched them, smiling. 

“I wasn’t much older than they are.”

“You haven’t shown your face to anyone since you were a kid?” she asked, surprised. “Not even her?”

“No.” He looked at his partner through the window. “I was... happy that they took me in. My parents were killed, and the Mandalorians took care of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This is the way,” he said, looking at her and nodding.

Omera fell silent for a second. “Let us know if there’s anything you need.”

The Mandalorian thanked her, and she left the barn. He then put the plate with food and the cup on the windowsill. He took his helmet off and set it beside the food. He looked out. The kids were sitting around Beatrice, who had the child on her lap.

* * *

Both bounty hunters and Cara searched the woods, trying to find what was attacking the village. The two women followed Mando as he scanned the floor with his helmet’s thermic vision, tracking footprints from the raiders. They stopped.

“About 15 or 20 of them came through here on foot,” he said.

Beatrice looked up, seeing the damage in the trees.

“Look at those trees,” she said. “Something big sheared off those branches.”

They walked a bit further, stopping when they found another mark on the ground, bigger than the others. A machine’s footprint.

“AT-ST,” Cara said, crouching down next to it.

“Imperial Walker.” Mando looked up from the footprint. “What’s it doing here?”

“I don’t know,” responded Cara, standing up. “But this is more than I signed up for.”

A path of fallen and destroyed trees marked the course of the AT-ST.

* * *

“Bad news. You can’t live here anymore.” Mando stood on the porch of the barn in front of the villagers, Cara and Beatrice beside him.

A faint murmur could be heard at his words, lots of ‘whats’ and ‘whys’ being said.

“You could have been a bit more tactful, Mando…” Beatrice whispered to him.

“You think you can do better?” He looked at her.

“Can’t do much worse,” chimed in Cara. She then turned to the villagers. “I know this is not the news you wanted to hear but there are no other options.”

“You took the job!” Stoke, the beardless man that had gone to find them, said.

“Yeah!” added Caben, the other man.

“That was before we knew about the AT-ST,” Cara responded.

“What is that?” asked Stoke.

“The armoured walker with two enormous guns that you knew about and didn’t tell us,” she answered.

The murmur increased. The villagers were begging them to stay and help them.

“We have nowhere to go,” Omera said. She had her arms around Winta, who was hugging the child.

“Sure you do. This is a big planet.” Mando looked at Omera as Cara spoke. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot smaller-”

“My grandparents seeded these pods,” Caben interrupted her.

“It took generations,” said Stoke.

Beatrice took a step forward, standing next to Cara.

“Look, we understand. But there are only three of us. It’s impossible!”

“No there’s not!” shouted Stoke. “There’s at least twenty here!”

“She means fighters. Be realistic,” said Cara.

“We can learn!” said Caben. “Give us a chance!” The villagers were getting more and more agitated. They weren’t willing to leave without a fight.

“I’ve seen that thing take out entire companies of soldiers in a matter of minutes,” exclaimed Cara.

More murmurs.

“We’re not leaving,” Omera firmly said.

Cara paused.

“You cannot fight that thing,” said Beatrice, trying to reason with her.

“Unless we show them how,” said Mando.

The villagers talked among themselves. Beatrice turned to her partner.

“You think they can do it?”

“They deserve a chance,” he answered.

* * *

The villagers stood around the three of them.

“You got two problems here,” said the Mandalorian. “You got the bandits, and you got the mech. We’ll handle the AT-ST, but you gotta protect us when they come outta the woods. And I don’t have to tell you how dangerous they are. Beatrice will stay here and help you.” He nodded to his partner.

“Cara Dune here was a veteran,” said Beatrice. “She was a drop soldier for the Rebellion, and she’s gonna lay out a plan for you. So listen. Carefully.”

“Now, there’s nothing on this planet that can damage the legs on this thing. So we’re gonna build a trap. We’re gonna need to dig real deep.” Cara pointed to the edge of the krill pool closer to her. “Right here, so that when it steps in, it drops. The two of us will hit their camp, provoke them. That’ll bring the fight out of the woods and down here to us.”

“I’m gonna need you to cut down trees and build barricades along these edges,” added Mando. “I need it high enough so that they can’t get over, and strong enough so that it can’t break through. Okay.” He paused. “Who knows how to shoot?”

Omera slowly raised her hand, the only one to do it.

The Mandalorian opened one of the crates he and Beatrice had brought with them and started unpacking, giving each villager a weapon.

Beatrice supervised the construction of the barricades and helped the villagers dig the trap. Meanwhile Cara worked with the villagers on melee training, and Mando on shooting practice. The shooters missed the targets by far, except Omera, who hit hers right in the middle, repeatedly. Mando looked at her and nodded. By the end of the day, most of the defenses were up and the villagers had made enough progress to defend themselves.

* * *

Omera stepped out of her hut. Mando was waiting for her in the doorway.

“The sun is about to set and we’ll be leaving soon. When we return, we’re coming in hot,” he said.

She nodded. “We’ll be ready.”

The two of them looked at each other without speaking until Cara and Beatrice approached them. Cara nodded, and the Mandalorian went to them, Omera’s gaze still on him. They walked to the woods, stopping at the entrance.

“So… Omera, huh?” Beatrice teased her partner, chuckling. Cara smirked and continued walking, leaving them alone. When Mando didn’t answer her, she talked again. “We’ll be waiting for you two, don’t die out there, okay? I don’t know where you hide your credits and it would be a waste of time trying to find them,” she joked.

The Mandalorian looked at her face, still silent.

“Mando…?” she said, concerned.

“Maybe I should stay here,” he finally said.

“What? And leave Cara alone? No, you go with her, we’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to them, don’t worry.” She smiled at him.

He stared at Beatrice. He didn’t doubt her. Mando knew she was perfectly capable of defending herself, the kid, and the village. He would put his life in her hands. But he still worried about her. The Mandalorian sighed. He lifted his arms and grabbed her forearms, pulling her a bit closer.

"Be careful." He looked her straight in the eye. “Please.” Mando let go of her. She grabbed his hands and stared at his visor.

“You too.” She smiled at him and turned towards the village.

Mando walked to Cara, who had been looking at them from afar. She smirked.

“Only partners, she says...”

“Let’s go.” And with that, they entered the woods.

* * *

Mando and Cara walked through the woods until they reached the bandit camp. Two Klatooinians were sitting around a campfire, talking and drinking. The Mandalorian and Cara approached them from behind, attacking them and knocking them out. They sneaked to one of the tents. Near it, more Klatooinians sat around another, bigger campfire. They took out their blasters and entered the tent. No bandits were inside. There were various circular tanks full with a glowing blue liquid, the same the Klatooinians were drinking. They sheathed their guns. Mando set an explosive in a post and nodded to Cara.

As they were to leave, Cara heard Klatooinians approaching. She whistled, and Mando looked at her. She hid beside the door as two went into the tent. They halted when they saw the Mandalorian, who stood without moving in front of them. Cara then punched one, grabbing him afterwards, and kicked the other. Mando punched the one free of Cara's grip. Another one entered the tent as Cara threw the one she had in a circular tank. He hit her on the face twice before she struck back. Mando knocked out the one he was fighting and hit the one who had Cara with all his strength, knocking him out as well.

They had a few seconds to breathe before more Klatooinians entered the tent. The explosive kept beeping on the background as the two of them fought. A Klatooinian threw Mando to one of the tanks. As the bandit came near him, he stepped on his foot and smacked him on his back, throwing him forward. Cara drowned another in a tank. From the entrance of the tent, two Klatooinians shot them. They hid behind the tanks. One of them shot the wall behind Mando, and he drew his blaster. He nodded to Cara, looked at the wall, and shot at it a few times, softening it up.

“Come on! I’ll cover you!” he shouted.

Cara ran to the wall, breaking it down. They both ran out of the tent just as the explosive blew up, sending them to the floor.

“I hope the plan worked,” Cara said as they both watched what was left of the tent, now on fire.

Behind them, the AT-ST came to live. Both of them stood up and watched the machine, petrified.

“Go,” yelled Mando. “GO!”

They rushed through the woods, the AT-ST in tow shooting at them.

* * *

“What is taking them so long?” Beatrice whispered to herself. She stood near Omera, her gun pointing to the edge of the woods. The villagers hid behind the barricades, their blasters also pointing to the forest. The children were hiding in one of the huts while the adults waited for Cara and the Mandalorian.

Finally, the two of them appeared, running out of the mist and sliding into cover.

“This is it! Once that thing steps in the pond it’s going down!” yelled Cara. The Mandalorian took out his rifle and looked to Beatrice’s position. He nodded when he spotted her and turned his sight back to the woods.

The noise of trees creaking could be heard from the forest, followed by loud thuds.

“Weapons ready!” shouted Cara, drawing out her blaster. Doing the same, everyone stared in silence at the forest, the thudding growing louder. Omera and Beatrice exchanged glances.

The enormous machine broke through the trees, destroying them as it walked, its heavy footsteps making the floor tremble. The AT-ST came closer to the pond.

“Just a few more steps,” whispered Mando to Cara.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Beatrice murmured behind them. “Come closer.” The grip of her hand on her gun tightening.

But just as the machine was to walk into the pond, it halted, its leg hanging above the water. The AT-ST took a step back.

“It stopped,” said Cara, dumbfounded.

The AT-ST turned on a light and scanned the area, searching.

“Get down! Get down!” loudly whispered Mando.

The light from the AT-ST passed over the defenses, the villagers hiding behind them, until it stopped at one of the huts.

Then it opened fire.

The hut bursted on flames. Some villagers attempted to run.

“Caben! Stay there!” shouted Omera.

“Don’t move!” yelled from beside her Beatrice.

Armed Klatooinians emerged from behind the machine.

“OPEN FIRE!” At Cara’s signal, the villagers, Mando, and Beatrice started shooting.

The villagers were taking down the Klatooinians without effort, but the blasters were useless against the AT-ST. The machine shot at the village, destroying everything it put its gaze on. Beatrice landed in between Mando and Cara, having ran from her position in the barricades with Omera to theirs.

“We gotta get that thing to step forward,” said Mando.

“I’m thinking,” responded Cara. The AT-ST continued shooting, forcing the villagers to retreat. The Mandalorian disintegrated a Klatooinian with his rifle. Beatrice looked to the rifle, then to the machine.

“Give me that,” she extended her hand to him.

“What do you have in mind,” he asked, passing her the rifle.

“You’ll see.”

Mando nodded at her. “We’ll cover you.”

She stood up and ran to the AT-ST. The Mandalorian took his blaster and shot at the Klatooinians running to her. The machine spotted her and fired at her. She jumped into the water and took cover.

“Come on. You got this,” whispered to himself Mando.

Beatrice took a breath and turned, aiming the rifle to the machine.

“Come here, you piece of crap.” Then she shot.

The AT-ST came closer to her, stopping at the edge of the pond. She took cover again as the machine shot at the ground above her head. The Mandalorian and Cara continued shooting at the Klatooinians near her. She tried to shoot at the machine, but dodged when it fired at her.

“This is it. It’s now or never,” said Omera from her position behind the barricades. The villagers charged at the Klatooinians. “CABEN, STOKE, GET OUT THERE!” she shouted. The two men followed her order.

Cara stood up. “Keep covering her, I’m gonna help them.” Then she ran to the villagers.

Meanwhile, Beatrice kept hiding from the AT-ST, unable to shoot at it. The machine took a step forward, but not enough to fall into the trap, and continued shooting at what it guessed was Beatrice’s position.

The villagers continued fighting with Cara’s help. Mando stood behind the barricades, pointing his gun at the machine. The AT-ST wasn’t moving.

“Take the bait, you hunk of junk,” he murmured. The closer the shots got to his partner’s hiding place, the faster his heart beat.

The machine lost track of Beatrice for a second. She took advantage of the machine’s distraction, breaking one of the cockpit windows, making the AT-ST stumble. It took a few steps forward, finally falling into the trap, landing hard on its side. Mando then stood up. He picked up an explosive from his belt and ran to the machine. When he got close to it, he threw the explosive through the broken window. He slid into cover with Beatrice. As he landed in the water, the AT-ST exploded. Beatrice grabbed him and pulled him closer to her, trying to shelter him from the blast.

The Klatooinians ran away, defeated without their war machine. From their hiding spot, the bounty hunters could hear the villagers cheering.

She released her grip on the Mandalorian and threw her head backwards, resting it in the muddy walls of the pond. He looked at her.

“Was that the plan?” he asked her, a bit out of breath.

She chuckled. “It was more of an idea than a plan.”

He rested his head on the wall as well. She let her head fall onto his shoulder pad.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Peachy.”

* * *

A few weeks had passed since the AT-ST was destroyed. The Mandalorian was leaning against the barn door. Beatrice stood beside him, and Cara sat on a chair on the other side of the porch. Omera came out of the barn and handed Cara a drink. She thanked her. Then she turned to the Mandalorian and his partner, giving Beatrice another drink, but her eyes stayed on him. Beatrice nodded to her in gratitude.

“Can I set you something in the house?” she asked Mando.

“Uh... Thank you,” he answered. “Maybe later.”

She looked at the child. Winta and other kids from the village were playing with him. “He’s very happy here.”

“He is.”

“Fits right in.” And with that, she left.

Beatrice and Cara smirked at each other.

“I’m gonna check on the kid,” Beatrice said, leaving her unfinished drink on a table. She walked to the group of kids and kneeled in front of the child, who instantly ran to her. The moment she was out of earshot, Cara turned to the Mandalorian.

“So, what happens if you take that thing off? They come after you and kill you?”

“No,” he answered. “You just can’t ever put it back on again.”

“That’s it?” she asked, incredulous. “So, you can slip off the helmet, settle down with that beautiful young widow and raise your kid sitting here sipping spotchka?”

He tensed and looked at his partner. She was now playing with the children; they were trying to feed krill to the kid. Had she told Cara...?

“Widow?”

“I mean, is a small village, I doubt she divorced the girl’s father, unless he abandoned them and left the planet.” She took another sip from her drink.

He sighed. “You’re talking about Omera.” He looked back to Beatrice.

“Yes? Who else would I be talking about?” She followed the Mandalorian’s gaze. “Oh, damn.”

A few moments passed before he spoke again.

“You know, we raised some hell here a few weeks back. It’s too much action for a backwater town like this. Word travels fast.” He paused. “You might wanna cycle the charts and move on.”

“Wouldn’t wanna be the one who’s gotta tell him.” She signaled to the child, still playing with the other kids and Beatrice.

“I’m leaving him here.” Cara looked at him. “Travelling with us... That’s no life for a kid. We did our job, he’s safe. Better chance at a life.”

She looked back to the kids. “It’s gonna break his little heart.” She took another sip from her cup.

“He’ll get over it,” Mando said. “We all do.”

* * *

Mando walked towards Omera. She was kneeling near a pond, working on some nets.

“Excuse me. Can I have a word?”

She looked up. “Of course.”

She stood up and the Mandalorian led her away from the others.

“It’s very nice here,” he said.

“Yes,” she agreed.

“I think it’s clear he’s... he’s happy here.”

She smiled. “What about you?”

“Me?” he asked, confused.

“Are you happy here?” He didn’t answer. “We want you to stay. The community is grateful. You can pack all this away in case there’s ever trouble. The three of you could have a good life. He could be a child for a while. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The child played with the other kids from the village near the Mandalorian and Omera. Beatrice approached them, kneeling and patting the child’s head before saying something to the kids, making them laugh. The Mandalorian glanced at them.

“It would,” he replied, his voice breaking.

Omera raised her hands, placing them on each side of Mando’s helmet. She lifted it a bit, but he gently stopped her, putting his own hands on her forearms and lowering them down.

“I don’t belong here,” he said. “But he does.”

“I understand.” She paused. “I will look after him as one of my own.”

They stared at each other until a gunshot was heard. He quickly turned around a extended his arm, putting Omera behind him, then he drew his blaster.

“Go get the kids,” he told her. She nodded and ran to them. The Mandalorian looked at his partner and saw her getting up as well, he then rushed to the trees.

Cara stood above a dead Kubaz bounty hunter. Mando stopped beside her and looked down to the burned body. Beatrice walked towards the two of them, having followed Mando when she saw him running. When he turned the body with his foot, a tracking fob fell from the corpse. He leaned down and picked it up.

“Who is he tracking?” asked Cara.

“The kid,” Mando answered.

“They know he’s here,” said Beatrice, her eyebrows furrowed. He looked at her.

“Yes.”

“Then they’ll keep coming,” Cara said.

“Yes,” he repeated. He threw the tracking fob to the ground and stepped on it, breaking it.

* * *

The kid sat on a sled. Some villagers were helping the two bounty hunter load their things into it. Cara passed the other villagers and approached them.

“Are you sure you don’t want an escort?” she asked.

“I appreciate the offer,” the Mandalorian said, putting another crate in the sled. “But we’re gonna bypass the town and head right to the Razor Crest.”

“Well then.” She offered her hand to Mando. “Until our paths cross.”

He took it. “Until our paths cross.”

Cara then turned to Beatrice, offering her hand as well.

“Next time, you’re paying for the soup,” Beatrice said, shaking her hand and smiling.

Cara laughed. “You can count on that.” She then walked away.

Winta let go of her mother’s hand and ran to the child, hugging him.

“I’ll miss you so much,” she said, sobbing.

Omera turned to the bounty hunters.

“Thank you.” The two of them nodded.

Winta returned to her mother and looked at Beatrice. Then she threw herself at her, hugging her too. Beatrice froze, staring at the kid.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Winta released Beatrice of her tight grip and grabbed her mother’s hand. Beatrice nodded at the kid, a small smile on her lips.

The two bounty hunters hopped into the sled and left the village. Beatrice took the kid and put him on her lap. The villagers waved them goodbye, and she moved the child’s hand, making him wave as well. As the huts grew smaller, Beatrice spoke.

“I’m gonna miss them.” Mando looked at her. She glanced down to the child. “Micah was a bit younger than Winta.”

The Mandalorian stared at his partner, and if he saw the tear running down her cheek, he said nothing.


End file.
